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Long Thoracic Nerve Injury
Aka: Long Thoracic Nerve Injury
- See Also
- Peripheral Nerve Injury
- Causes
- Direct blow to Shoulder
- Chronic repetitive overhead Shoulder traction (e.g. tennis, swimming, baseball)
- Symptoms
- Diffuse Shoulder or Neck Pain with overhead activity
- Signs
- Forward flexion weakness at Shoulder
- Scapular winging
- Management
- Shoulder Range of Motion Exercises
- Prevents Frozen Shoulder and contractures
- Strengthen remaining Shoulder stabilizing muscles
- Trapezius Muscles
- Rhomboid Muscles
- Levator Scapula Muscle
- Surgery is rarely indicated
- Diagnostics
- Nerve Conduction Studies and EMG
- Shoulder MRI
- Not typically indicated but may show supraspinatus and infraspinatus denervation changes
- Course
- Therapy leads to recovery times typically of 9-12 months (may require up to 2 years)
- References
- Neal (2010) Am Fam Physician 81(2): 147-55 [PubMed]
- Safran (2004) Am Sports Med 32(4): 1063-76 [PubMed]